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“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.” ― Paul Krugman

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Hi, I'm Bret. I'm a very Progressive Liberal. I believe in the truth behind science and mathematics. I believe supposed "creationists" are just too ignorant to understand actual science, and fall back to their magic storybook because real science is too hard for their itsy-bitsy lizard brains. I believe in equality for all people; straight, gay, bi, trans, white, black, brown it does not matter. We are all humans on this Earth for a limited time. Celebrate diversity and enjoy with other's bring to your life. End of story. ;-)

Following the announcement by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) that the Obama administration is considering housing Guantánamo detainees in a largely vacant prison in Thomson, Illinois, Fox News' Catherine Herridge reported that that "we're seeing some signs of local opposition" among the residents, and MSNBC's Monica Novotny said there was local "outrage." Both omitted additional reporting that some residents welcome the decision, which could provide employment and economic stimulus to the community; indeed, Herridge ignored an earlier report on Fox News that some residents are "pretty open" to the decision....(Remainder.)

The news headlines say he was fired for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage, but by his own admission, Peter Vadala lost his job as a store manager because he believed God wanted him to tell a co-worker that homosexuality is wrong.

And the retailer he worked for says he was fired because he used the word "deviant" to describe homosexuals, and added that he "hates" gay people.

Vadala's story has become a popular topic among conservative activists in recent weeks, who last August lost his job as an assistant manager at a Brookstone outlet at Boston's Logan Airport.

"Man fired for advocating traditional marriage," says a headline at the conservative OneNewsNow site. "Massachusetts man says he was fired for telling colleague her gay marriage is wrong," says the headline at the Fox News site.

But the story the 24-year-old Vadala told Fox News indicates he lost his job for expressing views against homosexuals as a whole, and not against same-sex marriage.

Vadala told Fox News he confronted a Brookstone store manager who was visiting from another location after she repeatedly mentioned her engagement to another woman.

"I found it offensive that she repeatedly brought it up," Vadala said. "By the fourth time she mentioned it, I felt God wanted me to express how I felt about the matter, so I did. But my tone was downright apologetic. I said, 'Regarding your homosexuality, I think that's bad stuff.'"...(Remainder.)

Some 100 new militia groups have formed since the election of President Barack Obama, says the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In a re-run of the phenomenon seen when President Bill Clinton took office, gun-rights advocates, libertarians, survivalists and others are forming militias as a symbol of their resistance to what they see as an administration that threatens to restrict their right to bear arms and expand government control over the lives of private citizens.

"The truth is that these groups are popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a social-justice group that has been tracking the rise of militias over the past year.

Potok's group put out a report earlier this year raising the alarm about the resurgence of armed militias. Since then, he told CNN, the group has counted about 100 new groups formed across the country.

"There really is this terrible fear mixed with fury about the idea that President Obama is somehow leading a socialistic takeover of America," Potok said....(Remainder.)

Good thing we've got reporters to fact check these guys when they tell whoppers like this isn't it? Oh...nevermind. John King didn't bother. Rudy Giuliani claims that the Democrat who won the NY-23 Congressional district voted against the House health care bill. You'd think King would have known that not only did Bill Owens vote yes on the bill, he announced that he would vote for it ahead of time and as reported by TPM:

Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) can be counted on as a "yes" in this weekend's expected vote on the House Democrats' health care bill, announcing his support in a press release.

"This legislation will reform the insurance industry and provide increased access to affordable healthcare without taxing healthcare benefits, cutting Medicare benefits or raising taxes on the middle class, and that is exactly the direction we need to go," said Owens. "There are still changes I would like to make, including raising the payroll exemption for small businesses, but like I said last week, there is a fundamental need for reform and we must act with a sense of urgency."

Owens won a narrow upset victory in this past Tuesday's NY-23 election, defeating the Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman who had opposed the bill, and picking up the seat for the Democrats. Owens's position here is in line with his prior statements at a debate held last week, shortly before the election.

Ten-year-old Will Phillips may have just become the new cause célèbre of the gay rights movement.

It all started when he refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in a West Fork, Arkansas elementary school.

Speaking to CNN's John Roberts on Monday, Will said he remained seated four straight days while his classmates repeated the words, "with liberty and justice for all."

"I was analyzing the meanings of it, because I want to be a lawyer," he said. "... There isn't really liberty and justice for all. There's ... Gays and lesbians can't marry. There's still a lot of racism and sexism in the world. Yeah."

Eventually, the substitute teacher started giving Will "grief" over his refusal to repeat the words. "What did you say to that teacher?" Roberts asked.

"I eventually, very solemnly -- with a little bit of malice in my voice -- said, 'Mam, with all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge," Will explained.

Seated next to the boy, his father covered his face, smiling.

Jay Phillips told King he thought his son was "dead" for rebelling in such a manner. "However, when I got home and I talked to him, the more I heard from him the more it became apparent that this wasn't a typical act of juvenile delinquency. This was a very a-typical act of juvenile delinquency. He, uh, he sat for four days and took the brunt of the criticism."...(Remainder.)

In reporting on the manner in which President Obama greeted Japanese Emperor Akihito, Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy repeatedly claimed that "dating back to the very founding of this Republic, American leaders do not bow to leaders of other countries." In fact, Obama's greeting was far from unprecedented, as several past Presidents have bowed while greeting foreign leaders. Additionally, in reporting on Obama's bow, Fox & Friends repeatedly cited right-wing blog Hot Air in their reports on Obama's greeting.

Doocy repeatedly claimed Obama's greeting is unprecedented

DOOCY: Two hundred and thirty-three years of precendent dating back to the very founding of this Republic, American leaders do not bow to leaders of other countries. They are on par. Oops. Take a look, there's the President of the United States bowing to the Emperor of Japan.

[...]

DOOCY: You know this is a long standing precedence going back to the founding of the Republic, American Presidents don't bow to anybody. But the President, there he is, bowing. He bowed to King Abdullah earlier in the year as well. The administration said, look it's just protocol, its one of those things they do. You've been in an administration where a President has faced-look there's Abdullah right there. He's going down-why doesn't the, when you look at this, what do you think?

Nixon bowed while meeting Japanese Emperor. According to a November 15 post on his ABC News.com blog, Political Punch, Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper reported that Obama's bow was not "unprecedented." Tapper cited "an academic with expertise about the Japanese Empire" as noting: "At their 1971 meeting in Alaska, the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America, President Nixon bowed and referred to Emperor Hirohito and his wife repeatedly as 'Your Imperial Majesties.'... Nixon gets the bow right. Slight arch from the waist hands at his side." Below is the photo to which the Political Punch is referring: